On we pressed the road being fairly smooth dust, it would be hard work if it rained.
The solo riders made easier work of the hills
there were views around every corner as we got to almost 1600 mtrs
A fuel stop
and more village life
Did I mention the dust
The last 25k's of the dirt became fairly rutted, apparently Trish took a dive as there's no pic it didn't happen.
We hit the tar at Sam Soun and enjoyed the twisties and scenery to Vieng Thong with a roadside lunch consisting of Bagettes and Banana
We arrived at our guesthouse which overlooked the market
After a shower it was out to find food and beer, we wanderd down near the river and found a place but when we asked for a beer they said no despite me being able to see a lot of it in the fridge, so we moved on ( i was later told it may have been a private function and locals can become protective of their beer during holidays).
Any we went back the way we came and had a beer here
thats the owner in the background and his son in the yellow shirt, he owned the computer shop/ guesthouse next door, we had a couple and a chat nice people
dinner was good
And a video of the days riding

Morning of the 29th Oct
An early start just watching the markets below the guesthouse
It seems if you don't get there early you starve, it was all over by 7:30/ 8:00
Same place as last night for breakfast but a seat out the front this time

they have it all
also rush hour for school
Around the corner for some fuel and the kids are always smiling

The road from Vieng Thong to Phonsavan would have to be one of the most enjoyable of the trip ,twisties views and friendly people

Coming out of the mountains towards the plains and Phonsavan
we stopped for lunch on the side of the road and at first didn't notice this school across the road then the visitors
and just back in the bush, someones prayer spot
And our hotel for a couple of nights while we explore the area

I first saw Laos from Nong Khai in the mid-eighties, and was curious about the place, which at that time was closed to most foreigners. I got to visit a couple of times in the late nineties, on a visa run and a bit of a break from work in Thailand.

I enjoyed the laid back feel of the place, and the nature of the Lao people. There was an elegant composure about them that made the Thai people seem quite brash by comparison.

There was a small town feel about even Vientiene, that has been long since lost in Thai cities. A friend in NZ told me I should catch up on another friend of his there. I had just checked in to a guest house and was going down the street when a big Chev pick up stopped outside a dry-cleaning shop. When the driver got out I thought he looked like a Kiwi, so I fronted up and said "Are you Hank?"

He was... within an hour or so of being in the country I had, perchance, caught up with a guy I had hoped to meet. He had been living there for ten years by then, and is still there, well ensconced, with a Lao wife and a couple of kids.

I took a bus up to Luang Prabang; a long slow trip through some magnificent countryside. The town, the old royal capital of the country, is majestically located, at the junction of the the mighty Mekong and another river, with mountains all round.

Your pictures bring back some memories.

I thought at the time I would like to return to travel the country by motorcycle..... you've done it; well done, and thanks for sharing.

__________________there are old motorcyclists and bold motorcyclists
but you seldom meet an old, bold motorcyclist

Ok Oct 30th Phonsavan. A trip to the plain of jars site 1 & 2 and along the way we found Tad Long falls so a side trip
The ride out of town was easy, less traffic here than say Luang Prabang or Vietiane but always something to look at, we'll start with the view from the fire escape at the hotel (only the best)
and always love the scaffolding here, this was 4 stories up
Then I noticed these out the front, they come with all the racks you could need its a shame it's only a 125
the country side was beautiful when we got off the main road
And first up site 2, stay between the lines
david is 6" 4 to give perspective
where as I'm only a short arse
we moved on to Tad Long falls
The road to the falls was just a quite village lane and very picturesque
and we came to a river crossing
the falls were good after a short walk down a track
Loacals on the way back and then a host of small back roads on the way site 1
Site 1 had a few more jars
old trench line over looking air port
and a cave at site 1
Shit was it hot out in the sun, we were clad to get back to town
A late lunch was had at Craters
and dinner was had at a place called Bamboozaled owned by a nice bloke from the Shetlands if I remember who married a local girl after working on a farm project for 2 years
And a vid of the days activities

Morning 31st Oct
Today we were headed to Vang Vieng, although I initially did not want to go there because of the party town/18 to 20 something drunken yobs I heard they cleaned it up so Vang Vieng it was.
Let me just say that if I thought previous roads were fun , some sections of this were brilliant for both scenery and the road ,oh how I wanted a solo 450 motard

At first I thought this will be fairly sedate then we started to climb

We stopped here for a drink break

then onward

These shots were taken from atop a hill with a telecom tower mounted on it, see a dirt track go up the hill, glad we did.
Lots off dirt tracks to explore as you can see, if you've got the time.
Also the road we were on going through villages

Bike riding heaven

we stopped at this place for lunch, a bit tourity but the food was good and the view brilliant.

Coming into Vang Vieng you could see the party/ tourist setup but strangely not as many people, we found out later the riverside party bars had been cleaned up. But you could still see people in cafe's who had travelled thousands of Km to sit and watch re- run's of Friends I'll never understand people who travel and then seek out stuff just like home. Great cultural experiance

A bit of temple maintenance on the way in
we had a bit of a treat with accommodation here and can highly recommend this place

From the pool deck

the bungalows

Something for the sunshine coast / brissy people

Always find the translation a laugh

Unfortunately we only had time for an overnighter but I will go back to Vang Vieng.
Here is a vid of the day, I know it's a little long for some but I edited out 10 x whats here and film never does the real thing justice

Thurs 1 Nov Vang Vieng to Vientiane via Nam Ngum damn
Well I just typed all this and lost the lots to the sign in devil, so a short installment for now.
A few morning shots in Vang Vieng
On the road
Local bbq/ summer/ swim house
Pack em in
At a place called Hin Hoeup at a fork in the road the GPS says same same, turns out old bridge and new bridge , we
took the old

Riding to the end of the access road was a small village with boats for fishing and a resort perched on the hill
We then rode backto the intersection near the damn wall to a restaurant by the river.
I think he had a menu with prices for tourists as they seemed high but there were a few locals there earlier.
The dutiful son cleaning table during midday break from school
The rest of the ride back to Vientiane was same same except on the out skirts of town, some friendly girls
When we arrived back in town the place was over run with diplomats and their staff all for some ASEAM meeting even Julia was there somewhere
Also police / army everywhere
and our hotel now housed Russian troops who I will say were not very chatty

Talking to one of the diplomatic staff staying at our hotel we were told there had been influx of around 5000 people for the conference and around $20 million spent on new vehicles to ferry them around. Seemed senseless in a country with so much poverty, not to mention airport closures, roads blocked off and restricted access to some areas.
Our last full day in Laos and Vietiane was spent looking at temples , I wanted to get a t shirt and printed on the front
" What Wat is What" anyway
We looked at headstones something my wife does (maybe it's because she's in the medical profession )
But I did find them interesting
Thats about it for Laos we flew out next morning for Cambodia were I had an appointment with Dancing roads
for a 5 day off road through the Cardamom mountains, which will be written up shortly.
As usual here is a vid of the days riding, Hope you enjoyed the ride report.